Bang a gong

by
Drum Corps International

Brandon Smith, a 17-year-old senior at Collins High School in Suwanee, Ga. (and also a second-year member of Spirit's front ensemble), submitted this one. "I was just checking out the Forzato section of DCI.org and was thinking I had some cool pictures from my season last year. So, I'm sending a pic from San Antonio last season to see if you are interested in putting it on the web site. This picture was taken at the DCI San Antonio regional last season (2002) during our opener. You can really see the anticipation in my eyes right before the first gong and bass drum hit of our show. The gong and bass drum hits add such an impact to a hit -- you can really feel it from the audience. "I remember sitting at my first drum corps competition at Murfreesboro, Tenn., in 2000, listening to the Cavaliers, feeling the "thud" in my chest, hoping that someday that could be me giving people that feeling! "That dream came true two years later when I became a member of Spirit. I had 17 gong and bass drum hits in our 2002 production, "DarknessInto Light." I truly felt like the luckiest guy in the world every time I took those powerful swings." Thanks Brandon! View the Forzato archives We're running low on Forzato pics! E-mail your submissions -- and we will get to them all, in time -- to dave@dci.org along with where and when the photo was taken. Send some biographical information about yourself as well. We'll give you full credit. Also, let us know if you want your e-mail address included, to get feedback from other drum corps fans.